He might as well have stopped listening altogether; as Hermione’s thoughts were not that of how she wished things at school were going differently, but rather, how she wished Ron would shield her from the cold. And he was wishing the same thing. The courage of the Gryffindor obviously has been left in the common room the night before. What had gone on was not the type of magic that wands could produce. And yet, both refused to utter a word about it.
They thought nobody knew.
They forgot Harry had an invisibility cloak.
Harry sat in his 7th year charms class. They were reviewing simple charms. All around him, shouts of “Lumos!” (the lights flickered), “Alohomora!” (clicking sounds abound), “Tadormanya!” (trapdoors appeared out of nowhere), and “Accio!” (flying random objects) fluttered around the room.
“Accio Ginny,” Harry thought.
He could have sworn he saw a flash of red fly by.
He didn’t quite know when his obsession with Ginny began, but he knew where it was highlighted. Last night they’d both wanted to follow Malfoy and Pavarti. Harry was sure his ex girlfriend was just snogging with Draco to get his attention. It had worked… but Harry still found the whole situation ironically comical. Ginny caught him sneaking downstairs to spy when she saw a floating foot descending the boy’s dormitory and insisted on coming with. He was a bit hesitant but then draped half of his cloak around her shoulders….
…and his arm, at the same time.
Hermione looked at Ron sharply. “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying!”
Ron nodded again, still lost in his thoughts. *CRACK!* Hermione’s hand flew across his arm a little bit harder than she had intended.
“Bugger!” Ron exclaimed.
“What was so important that you had to stare off into space and not listen to me- again — for the fifth time today?”
“Mione… I can’t tell you that.”
She sighed.
“I suppose that I can’t be too upset with you.”
“Oh?” Bloody hell Ron, you can’t just accept this free break?!
“I wasn’t even listening to myself.”
Ron eased his arm around her shoulders ever so casually. “What should you have been saying then, mate?”
Hermione’s heart jumped at the sudden warmth. “How can you still call me mate after… after…”
Ron’s face matched his hair as he turned her around, facing him. His hands automatically slid to her waist, as he stared into her glittering eyes. As if in a trance, she looped her arms around his neck. He was under the same spell as the night before. His courage came back, and he leaned in for a soft kiss. She traced his lips with her own, and mesmerized, drew back to finish her sentence. “…after that.”
When Harry and Ginny had reached Draco and Pavarti’s “secret” meeting spot (which was not so secret because it was the left corner of the astronomy tower, in which every hormone-ridden teenager with someone to snog went to), they let the couple find a spot to sit down before they did so themselves.
Pavarti made Harry angrier with each strike at Draco’s lips. He didn’t want to let Ginny know this however… and he found himself subconsciously closer to the youngest Weasley. He heard a moan escape from Pavarti, and that was it. To gain her attention, he threw a rock at the wall, let it clatter, discarded the cloak, and threw himself at Ginny.
At first, the kiss was only because of the jealousy filling him. But as he went on, he realized that it seemed natural. Ginny was surprised at first, too, but then she totally lost focus of Draco, and lost herself in Harry. They both saw sparks, and promptly stopped. But it wasn’t a wand. It was the fireworks of their chemistry. The fireworks everyone sees during a kiss with someone they really care about.
And Harry was over Pavarti.
They went back down to the common room together, still bewildered at what had just happened. Neither of them cared. An overwhelming feeling that was stronger than ever before was sweeping their emotions. Both of them wanted to be kissing again, wanted to be in each other’s arms. But it’s hard to walk with a cloak over your head and be walking at the same time.
They figured they’d be safe in the common room.
Which is where Ron and Hermione were.